I’ve had a bit of a break from jumping lessons since my coach is out of town until the Fourth. It’s given me some time to really practice the things I’m weak at – sitting trot and riding without stirrups. Oh So is tolerating me posting the trot without stirrups, but I haven’t tried a jump yet. Sam has always been fine with me dropping my stirrups, but I’ve never tried posting without them, so that’s my next task. I’ve also been trotting a single small jump without a ground pole and 95% of the time Oh So produces a better jump and gets the correct lead. I think it’s because I’m able to keep his shoulders where I want them. A lot of the time when we use a ground pole he’ll shift his shoulders the wrong way as he’s stepping over the pole, resulting in the wrong lead. Not having a ground pole is also forcing me to wait with my upper body and really practice putting my lower leg on which is a constant battle.

Other then that, I’ll have a pretty quiet week. Loch Moy is next weekend. I went to Surefire horse trials this weekend and worked as a freelance photographer. I covered the water jump for prelim and intermediate which was pretty entertaining because of the blue water. There were a couple of nasty falls, but horses and riders all got up and walked away.

Sam and I were featured on Eventing Nation as part of their “A View From My Horse” series. I sent the photo in a year ago and they finally got it up.

I also found a half-brother of Oh So on the COTH Forums. A woman contacted me because she saw my post about him in a topic about TBs in dressage. I don’t think he looks totally like Oh So, but his color is definitely the same. She told me that Oh So’s sire, Private Terms, is closely related to the famous filly Ruffian, who was also the same color but with a star on her forehead. I had forgotten her story, so I Googled her and read about her tragic death. Apparently she kept trying to run after she shattered her ankle. The jockey couldn’t stop her. That just sounds so similar to Oh So. I think he inherited that will to please. My coach and I have always said that he would jump off a cliff if I asked him. It was just pretty cool to talk to someone who’s knowledgable about racing (she works at the Daily Racing Form) and compare notes on our horses, who sound very similar.